WHAT IS THE AUTHORSHIP CONTROVERSY? WHAT ARE THE MAJOR THEORIES BEHIND THE AUTHORSHIP CONTROVERSY? what factions or sides are there to this controversy? why does this controversy continue to interest scholars today?
Authorship prepared by: Tony Douglass Shakespeare wrote many great works- many great sonnets, comedies, tragedies, and poems, as well. Or did he? Many people believe that yes, Shakespeare did write his own literature. There are others who believe just the opposite, though; they say that he wasn’t capable of composing his own works, that he wasn’t educated enough to know all the things he wrote about. They say that Shakespeare himself could have been illiterate; after all, his father was, and so was his own daughter. One would think that the greatest playwright of all time would make sure that his own daughter would know how to write. Another argument states that Shakespeare was known as a businessman, not a playwright. In Stratford he was commonly known as a businessman, not a poet, as explained on the webpage “Shakespeare Authorship Argument” on the absoluteshakespeare.com website. According to the book The Shakespeare Code, by Virginia M. Fellows, there are many nonsense phrases in some of Shakespeare's works that suggests another author wrote it. In fact, Fellows explains, Orville Ward Owen became so entranced in these misfit passages in the plays, he put them together through a complicated pattern. He came up with a book, Sir Francis Bacon Cipher Story, which is basically a hidden biography within Shakespeare’s works. As one can see in the title, Owen believes the story to be about Sir Francis Bacon. The cipher story is basically a hidden biography inside of Shakespeare's plays. Bill Bryson, author of Shakespeare- The World as a Stage, also believes that Sir Francis Bacon wrote Shakespeare's plays. (181) So how could this man, known so well as a great poet be the man he claims himself to be? Well the belief that Shakespeare didn’t write his own plays is not a very common belief; most people agree that it was Shakespeare who wrote his own works. Some evidence of this is the fact that they have record of his name as a part owner of the Globe Theatre, the infamous theatre where many of his plays were performed, his recorded death in 1616, and his marriage certificate. These facts dispel many of the arguments against Shakespeare's authorship. Shakespeare was also criticized by an author of the time for stealing ideas from his work; how could he steal ideas if he wasn’t writing the plays? The world has long doubted the authorship of Shakespeare, and as far as we know our doubts may never be proved.
Works Cited Bill, Bryson. Shakespeare: The World as a Stage. 1949. Print. Orville W., Owen. Sir Francis Bacon Cipher Story. Snow Mountain Press, 1893. Print.Shakespeare- "Oxford Authorship Argument." Absolute Shakespeare. N.p., 2005. Web. 13 Apr 2010. <http://absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/authorship/authorship_oxford_arguments.htm> Virginia M., Fellows. The Shakespeare Code. Snow Mountain Press, 2006. Print.Sir Francis Bacon
WHAT IS THE AUTHORSHIP CONTROVERSY? WHAT ARE THE MAJOR THEORIES BEHIND THE AUTHORSHIP CONTROVERSY? what factions or sides are there to this controversy? why does this controversy continue to interest scholars today?
Authorship prepared by: Tony Douglass
Shakespeare wrote many great works- many great sonnets, comedies, tragedies, and poems, as well. Or did he? Many people believe that yes, Shakespeare did write his own literature. There are others who believe just the opposite, though; they say that he wasn’t capable of composing his own works, that he wasn’t educated enough to know all the things he wrote about. They say that Shakespeare himself could have been illiterate; after all, his father was, and so was his own daughter. One would think that the greatest playwright of all time would make sure that his own daughter would know how to write. Another argument states that Shakespeare was known as a businessman, not a playwright. In Stratford he was commonly known as a businessman, not a poet, as explained on the webpage “Shakespeare Authorship Argument” on the absoluteshakespeare.com website. According to the book The Shakespeare Code, by Virginia M. Fellows, there are many nonsense phrases in some of Shakespeare's works that suggests another author wrote it. In fact, Fellows explains, Orville Ward Owen became so entranced in these misfit passages in the plays, he put them together through a complicated pattern. He came up with a book, Sir Francis Bacon Cipher Story, which is basically a hidden biography within Shakespeare’s works. As one can see in the title, Owen believes the story to be about Sir Francis Bacon. The cipher story is basically a hidden biography inside of Shakespeare's plays. Bill Bryson, author of Shakespeare- The World as a Stage, also believes that Sir Francis Bacon wrote Shakespeare's plays. (181)
So how could this man, known so well as a great poet be the man he claims himself to be? Well the belief that Shakespeare didn’t write his own plays is not a very common belief; most people agree that it was Shakespeare who wrote his own works. Some evidence of this is the fact that they have record of his name as a part owner of the Globe Theatre, the infamous theatre where many of his plays were performed, his recorded death in 1616, and his marriage certificate. These facts dispel many of the arguments against Shakespeare's authorship. Shakespeare was also criticized by an author of the time for stealing ideas from his work; how could he steal ideas if he wasn’t writing the plays? The world has long doubted the authorship of Shakespeare, and as far as we know our doubts may never be proved.
Works Cited
Bill, Bryson. Shakespeare: The World as a Stage. 1949. Print.
Orville W., Owen. Sir Francis Bacon Cipher Story. Snow Mountain Press, 1893. Print.Shakespeare-
"Oxford Authorship Argument." Absolute Shakespeare. N.p., 2005. Web. 13 Apr 2010. <http://absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/authorship/authorship_oxford_arguments.htm>
Virginia M., Fellows. The Shakespeare Code. Snow Mountain Press, 2006. Print.Sir Francis Bacon